Joplin, MO---5/22/2011

Most of my childhood was spent "touring" Kansas. 

That's a nice way of saying we moved around a lot. 

Then one day, right before my fifth grade year, we settled in a small (and what i would now consider ghetto) community known as Parsons, KS. Population approx. 12,000.

 I'm not sure what it is about the town that kept my family there, but I spent the next 8 years in that town, growing up and learning about life.

It wasn't a bad place to live; though, there wasn't much to do. 

No mall. 

No mini golf. 

No notable events.

Sometimes we had a movie theater...

There were a couple of cities not too far from us that were able to provide some occasional entertainment.

One of these such places was Joplin, MO.

The memories I have of the hour long drives to Joplin are countless. 

Singing at the top of my lungs with my best friends.

The long talks with my ex-boyfriend.

The non-stop chattering with my mother.

And then the actual memories of Joplin itself......

Spending hours picking out prom dresses and a wedding dress with my mom.

Going to the mall and spending way too much time and money at Old Navy.

 Visiting the Harley Davidson store with my family and eating dinner at an awesome diner nearby.

Eating at Olive Garden every single chance we got. 

I can still picture everything.

Just like it was.

Completely intact.

On Sunday, May 22, 2011, a tornado struck Joplin, MO leaving massive amounts of death 

and destruction in its wake. This storm hit my hometown; though, an actual tornado wasn't present at that time. For that, I am extremely grateful. However, my heart is simply broken at all of the devastation caused by this storm. As of the time of this post, 24 have been confirmed dead and CNN has reported that 75% of the town is destroyed. The death toll is expected to rise greatly as rescue crews are able to sift through the destruction during daylight hours. To put this storm in perspective for you, I heard a story of a woman who had insulation and a CHECK from a doctor's office in Joplin, in her yard.....60 miles away from the storm.

I've basically lived in Kansas my whole life, but I still haven't gotten used to tornadoes. I have awful memories as a child--with my classmates, huddled against walls in my school, trying to protect ourselves from the tornado outside, climbing under beds in the basement of my grandparent's house, being home alone with my 3 younger siblings and wondering how I was going to keep us all safe through the storm, or returning to my hometown from a weekend vacation to find it ripped apart by a tornado. Still to this day, if there's a bad storm with sirens going off and we have to take cover, I don't really handle it well. Inside, I turn into a complete mess; though, I always try to put on a brave face for those I'm around. After the storm, I can't help but burst into tears, incredibly thankful that my family and I are safe. 

I'm posting some links that will show in pictures what I can't convey in words. The videos and pictures can only give us a small glimpse into the terror that these people must have felt during the storm and the feeling of loss that was left behind when the storm moved out. 

Pictures of the destruction--These pictures are of the damage in Joplin, MO as well as Minnesota. 

Pictures from a local photographer--Most of these pictures have stories to go along with them, but NONE of these pictures need the accompanying words. This photographer is amazing. You can see the pain, the fear and the hope in each and every one of the photos.

First Person Video Of Tornado--For some reason, the video wouldn't post correctly, so I just linked it. This video is pretty terrifying. You can't see anything through out, but you can hear the storm, glass breaking, a child crying. Not for the faint of heart.

Video of Tornado Destruction--This video is rather long and the audio is selective, but it shows a good amount of the damage done. 

This is one of those times where I'm extremely thankful that all of my friends and family are safe and healthy. But not everyone was as lucky. As the week goes on, I encourage everyone reading this to keep those affected by these storms in your thoughts and prayers. If you're close by and able to help out, get off your computer right NOW and go pitch in. It doesn't matter what you do to help, but I'm positive that your time and strength will be very much appreciated by those suffering. If you're hearing this story from a distance, call the ones you love and tell them why they mean so much to you, go to sleep at night understanding how lucky you are to be safe and sound and don't take any of your days for granted.